For Immediate Release Michele Reber
December 2012 (800) 753-9633
Olympian Michael Johnson Chooses HydroWorx Underwater Treadmill for His World-Class Performance Center
Three-time Olympian Michael Johnson is no stranger to the world of intense sports training. The recipient of
13 Olympic and World Championship medals, all of them gold, Johnson, is well aware that athletic talent has
to be wisely cultivated. For his world-class Michael Johnson Performance Center, he has acquired the most
advanced recovery and training equipment on the market, including a HydroWorx underwater treadmill.
It’s the perfect marriage of technology and training: Michael Johnson Performance Center (MJP) and the
HydroWorx 500 Series performance and rehab pool complete with underwater treadmill. Johnson, the American
sprinter who stunned the world at the 1992, 1996 and 2000 Olympics, has embraced the use of this innovative
athletic equipment to help patrons of his world-class facility get stronger after injuries, safely avoid
overuse strains and effectively increase their abilities.
“Our objective is to help athletes at any level achieve their full potential,” explains Johnson. “It’s
important for us to provide as many resources as possible to be the best for our athletes… and we need the
best equipment and tools to do that. HydroWorx is known for its quality and innovation.”
At MJP, athletes focus on increasing their athleticism (e.g., speed, agility, strength, power) via nutrition,
injury rehab, injury prevention and mental strength programs. By providing the HydroWorx underwater
treadmill as a method of recovery and cross-training, Johnson and his team of experts can promise athletes
exceptional workouts without the physical stressors of land-based running or sprinting. As Johnson notes,
“When our athletes get a session in the HydroWorx, they feel fresher – it’s a welcome change for them.”
Lance Walker, CSCS, PT, Director of Performance at MJP, sees the HydroWorx as the next generation of aquatic
therapy and training. First introduced to aquatic therapy when therapists were only using what he deems
“old-school” shallow water hydrotherapy methods, Walker has seen how the multi-depth HydroWorx has changed the
face of active recovery strategies and re-generation techniques. “HydroWorx has become a key piece of our
methodology. We’re able to get athletes to do some power training they might not otherwise be able to do, and
helping to expedite inter-session recoveries.”
Walker continues, “The strategic use of HydroWorx has, in some cases, rewritten the progression for some
athletes. [They can] do things in the pool that they couldn’t do on land. What we’ve seen is a quicker
return to function.”
Johnson and Walker aren’t alone in their move toward underwater treadmill rehabilitation and workouts for
those looking to realize 100 percent of their athletic potential. Internationally-recognized marathoner
Alberto Salazar has also adopted the HydroWorx underwater treadmill as a major part of the training regimen
of the elite Oregon Project runners he coaches. To date, three of his protégés – Americans Galen Rupp and
Dathan Ritzenhein, and Brit Mo Farah – have dramatically shattered records and astounded audiences leading up
to their presence at the 2012 Olympics.
For their part, HydroWorx is thrilled to be an integral piece of MJP’s programming.
“Partnering with Michael Johnson Performance Center will allow many more athletes to experience the unique
benefits of the HydroWorx underwater treadmill,” says Anson Flake, CEO, HydroWorx. “We’re pleased to have
this opportunity to help MJP achieve its objectives through advanced rehabilitation and training
technologies.”
Since 2001, Johnson and MJP have prepared some of the top NFL draft prospects for the NFL combine. NFL
players, including Pro Bowlers and first round draft pics choose MJP each off-season to improve their speed,
power, agility and to raise their game. In addition to playing a role at the NFL Combine in February,
Johnson has plans to take his MJP concept to an international level in 2013.
About HydroWorx
HydroWorx, based in Middletown, Pennsylvania, offers a wide range of underwater treadmill pools, underwater
treadmills, and peripheral products and services. Every day, more than 15000 athletes and patients use
HydroWorx technology to recover from injuries and health conditions.
HydroWorx pools have played a starring role in the therapies of athletes at elite sports teams such as the
New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers, Notre Dame University, Texas A&M University, Duke University and the
University of Michigan. Additionally, HydroWorx will be used at newly-opened St Georges Park to help injured
footballers recover faster.
More information about HydroWorx can be found at www.HydroWorx.com.
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